Many companies purchase software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) or something similar. SaaS is essentially “on-demand software” supplied by software vendors where software and associated data are centrally hosted on the cloud. SaaS software can be accessed by customers using a thin client via a web browser. Similarly IaaS is a model wherein a company outsources the equipment for operation, such as storage, hardware, servers and networking components. PaaS is a model allowing customers to rent hardware, operating systems, storage and network capacity over the Internet. However, many companies and non-profit organizations do not like being tied to a monthly fee. Also, the flexibility to customize to a particular business's needs may be limited based on the rules of the SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS provides.
Methods and apparatus are desired allowing companies the flexibility to enable e-commerce transactions.